Secrets and Lies
by Aaliyah12345
Summary: Did Erana murder Istara? Will Aaliyah discover Fudjya, and Gorpi's secret? Why is Gorpi's pet so strange? The answers to all these questions lie here in "Secrets and Lies"
1. Chapter 1

When last we saw our heroes, they had embarked upon a quest to the Snake Cave near Cloud Mountain. Their objective was to go inside the cave and discover who, or what , was amassing large amounts of deadly snakes inside of the cave, and if possible, destroy the source. However, before they arrived, they came across a strange fairy named Istara, that Aaliyah, and Gorpi had met once before. Istara was very reckless, and Erana decided to return her to the wounded camp before preceding further. That, however, is a story for another day. Right now Aaliyah, Fudjya, and Gorpi, all sit in front of the cave, awaiting Erana's return. As far as Aaliyah knows, she is with her new boyfriend, and her best friend. What she doesn't know is that her new boyfriend is also her best friend's old boyfriend. Yet that too, is a tale for another day. Today the topic of conversation is Erana...

"I wonder what is taking so long?" Gorpi asked as she rolled her eyes. "I guess her tiger is not as fast as she claims."

"Who knows?" Aaliyah said, a little annoyed herself. "Istara may have gotten into more trouble, perhaps we should go looking for them?"

"I'm sure they are fine." Fudjya replied with a smile. "Erana's a pretty good healer. She healed me so fast when we fought those Cacodaemons. I'm sure she can handle any problem that comes their way."

"She's a little brat who needs to learn some manners." Gorpi said with an attitude.

"Gorpi!" Fudjya said in a tone Gorpi knew only to well. "That's Aaliyah's friend from home. Be nice okay?"

"No. It's okay." Aaliyah responded with a smile. "Erana was always a little strange. Ever since she was a child. At school the other children called her the Ice Princess. She was always very cold and unapproachable, but every now and then she would come to school with these strange smiles on her face. I was probably the only friend that she had, and that's mostly because of how close I was with her mother."

"Well I don't like her. S he was rude to me in the Blacksmith'a Shop. She was pretty rude to Bardo too." Gorpi said, her attitude unaffected by Aaliyah's short tale.

"If I remember correctly, you did not seem to get along very well with Bardo yourself." Aaliyah said bluntly.

"Hey! e was rude to me first!" Gorpi said in a defensive way.

"Yeah, Bardo is pretty rude." Fudjya said, recognizing that Gorpi was getting angry. "It's nothing though. Once we finish up here, we will probably never see either of them again, so it's no problem. We'll put it with them for now, if they keep being as rude we'll just have to put them in their place."

"Look here comes Erana now." Aaliyah said as she spotted Erana pulling up on her tiger. The tiger is very large, covered in gold-plated armor adorned with jewels. Erana steps down off the tiger with a large, wide smile on her face just as Aaliyah described earlier. She begins fidgeting with a jewel behind the tigers neck. She then pulls out her lucky bag and presses down on the jewel. Instantaneously the tiger begins to shrink down to the size of a small rodent. She places the tiger in the bag and puts the bag back on her belt. "How did you do that?" Aaliyah asks in wonder.

"You mean using my lucky bag?" Erana replied as her smile widened even further. "You just add the lucky charm to whatever piece of equipment you need to store, and the spell within the charm will shrink it down to a manageable size. That way it is compact and ready to use at a moment's notice. The armor or items are actually sent to a mystically-created pocket universe, similar to the one the tamers send their pets to. Isn't that right Gorpi?" She said as she began laughing uncontrollably.

"Um, yeah." Gorpi said, unfamiliar with this side of Erana.

"Well, you seem to be in a good mood." Aaliyah said with a smile.

"Yeah, what's so funny?" Gorpi said as she tried to understand how such a dramatic mood swing could take place.

"Oh nothing." Erana answered as she tried to contain her laughter. "It's just that the fairy was so goofy, and strange. All she would say was: "Zobel Kill!, Zobel Kill!.". It really got to be funny after a while."

"Yeah she was a weirdo" Gorpi said as she began to share in Erana's laughter.

"I don't know you guys, there was something about the look in her eyes." Aaliyah said with a sad tone in her voice. "Like she was trying to tell us something, but could not get the words out." The smile on Erana's face vanished.

"Well she won't be bothering us again anytime soon." Erana said as her eyes narrowed into a squint. "Let's get this over with so I can report back to my leader."

As they enter the cave Aaliyah sticks close to Fudjya. The entrance to the cave is another portal, this one apparently had been opened, and no one had bothered to close it. As they enter Gorpi thinks to herself how much she hates portals, but Aaliyah gives her a reassuring glance, as she always does, and Gorpi feels better. Once they all enter, they are each astonished by the beauty of the cave. Large rock crystals of all different shapes, sizes, and colors protrude through every surface possible. Strange mushrooms as unique as the crystals litter the landscape.

"Wow, this is beautiful!"Aaliyah said.

"I have a map but I have no idea where we are supposed to go." Gorpi said as she unrolled the scroll that contained the map.

"Perhaps now would be a good time to summon your pet." Fudjya suggested. " Hopefully he will know where we are supposed to go.

"Okay but make sure your all ready. We don't know how he will react, so be prepared for an attack." Gorpi said as she pulled out her pet bell and began to summon her Snake Captor. "Here goes!" The Snake Captor appeared in a flash of colorful light that left behind shimmery sparkles as it faded. The Snake captor looked up, smelled around, and then bolted into the heart of the cave before anyone could react."Great, thats just what we needed." Gorpi said frusterated that once again her control spell has failed. "Okay everyone, hope your ready for a run."

"Wait, do you hear that?" Fudjya said abruptly.

The group all quieted down and could hear strange screeches, and hissing noises. Suddenly Gorpi's Snake Captor emerged into site.

"Look there he is!" Fudjya shouted.

"Wait!" Aaliyah yelled. " Look behind him!"

As they all turned their heads back they witnessed four large Jungle Boas emerge from behind him, followed by two even larger Jungle King Boas, all coming directly towards them...

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So what did happen between Erana, and Istara? Will Aaliyah ever find out about Gorpi, and Fudjya? Will our heros even make it out of the Snake Cave alive to discover the answers to the questions? Find out later this week in Secrets and Lies part 2. Also I am sorry I forgot to say earlier that I would be taking a two week long break after Iron Arms and Erana so sorry about that. Beginning this week I will attempt to post mulitple parts per week to make it up to you so please keep reading!!! =)


	2. Chapter 2

When last we saw out heroes, they had just entered the Snake Cave near Cloud Mountain. The team did not know where they were supposed to go, so they decided to follow Gorpi's pet Snake Captor, whom she liberated from a psychic imprisonment. Once she summoned her pet, he took off running where the team could not see him. Before they had a chance to follow, he returned to them, but was followed by a squad of four large Jungle Boas, and 2 even larger Jungle King Boas...

"Look they are after him!" Aaliyah screamed out as Gorpi's Snake Captor tried to stay ahead of the mob chasing him. Gorpi, and Aaliyah began firing away with their respective powers, with little to no effect. "Be careful guys, they are strong!" She said as she continued using her Fire Barb attack.

"Let me stun them." Fudjya said as he ran into the middle of the mob and used his Dragon Cry stun attack, but only the four Jungle Boas, and one King Jungle Boa were stunned. The second Jungle King Boa was unaffected, but Aaliyah and Gorpi began concentrating their attacks on the beast, and slowly killed it. Fudjya then began using his Thunderslow attack as Erana healed him. Aaliyah then ran into the center of the action, and unleashed her Fire Burst Attack killing the remainder of the mob. The group sits to rest and use mana potions.

"Wow! I've got a feeling this is going to be a lot harder then the Lunar Cave." Gorpi said as she began psychically calming her pet Snake Captor.

"You've been to the Lunar Cave?" Erana asked almost impatiently.

"Yes, when we were still in Green Scarp." Aaliyah said. "Novice Shan wanted Gorpi and me to find out why no one had contacted the outside world."

"No offense, but that doesn't exactly seem like a job for two mid-level adventurers. Sounds more like a job for a fully armed battle unit." Erana responded with a slight tone of attitude in her voice.

"Hey, you think we're making this up?" Gorpi said as she tried to hold back her own attitude.

"She's right though." Fudjya interrupted. "Why would they send you two when they could have sent a trained unit. It doesn't make sense."

"Well he did, and we won! We even found out what happened!" Gorpi said in a tone of triumph, but her satisfaction soon faded. "Quartz died. He was killed by some unknown force that left behind a little gift for me and Aaliyah. We took care of it though"

"Anyways, we better get back to business guys, I have a feeling this may take a while, considering how strong those snakes were." Aaliyah said trying to avoid her feelings towards the "present" Gorpi mentioned.

"Okay, I think my pet's all calm and ready to go." Gorpi said as she finished her psychic spells. The Snake Captor begins sniffing around again. This time he leads slowly, at a slow quiet pace that the rest of the group follows. He leads them through the cave, sniffing out for a few minutes, then determining the best course to avoid the patrols. " How can he be this sophisticated?" Gorpi asks Onjo telepathically. "He is just a snake, yet he is using critical thinking."

"Could he be more than he appears to be?" Onjo responds.

"I wish I could ask Fudjya. He knew a lot about being a tamer, for an Assassin anyways." She replied almost sadly.

"We have agreed you will forget about him for now. He is with Aaliyah. It is best to move on." Onjo said reinforcing the part of Gorpi who no longer wanted anything to do with Fudjya.

"It's just the more time I spend with him, the more I know that we made a huge stupid mistake." Gorpi said as she tried to maneuver her way through a narrow passage in the large mountain ahead. She does not notice the mushroom on the other side of the passage, and brushes her leg against it. All of a sudden the mushroom comes to life, and fires a poisonous blast at her hitting her dead in the chest.

"Gorpi!" Fudjya screamed as he began slashing, and hacking the mushroom to pieces with his Simitar.

Erana instantly begins healing Gorpi, but Fudjya still runs to her side and holds onto her. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm okay." She said weakly, as she thinks about what she just told Onjo. " I should be fine, let's keep moving."

"Are you sure? Perhaps we should take you back to the wounded camp?" Fudjya asked, not even bothering to hide his show of concern. "That mushroom could have been poisonous."

"No, I'm okay. Let's just get moving so we can get out of here." She said, as she secretly wished he would hold her like this forever.

"Wait you guys look!" Aaliyah said loudly as she pointed off into the distance.

As they all looked over to where her finger was pointing they could see the bottom of what appeared to be a mountain. It had a spiral road leading from the base, that winded so far up, it was almost farther then the eye could see. Gorpi's Snake Captor began pacing about getting all upset again.

"Are we supposed to go up there?" Gorpi said in an unexcited tone. "That's going to take forever."

"Gorpi if you're tired, you really should teleport back to the wounded camp. I don't want anything to happen to you." Fudjya said in a gentle, caring tone.

"Oh stop it, I said I'm fine. Let's go!" She said as the group began making their way towards the road leading to the top of the cave.

"It's always Gorpi, are you okay?, Fudjya are you okay?" Shard told Aaliyah telepathically in her normal paranoid tone. "They seemed awfully worried about her, seeing as how they just met!"

"He's a very sensitive man." Aaliyah responded, impressed by his recent actions. "He's so caring, and nice."

"Yeah right!" Shard said. "Something is going on between those two I just know it!"

"You don't know anything about Fudjya. Stop being so paranoid, and stop distracting me." Aaliyah said getting frustrated at how paranoid Shard can be. "I need to be ready for battle."

"Stop distracting me." Shard said in a mocking tone, but Aaliyah had already started paying attention to her task at hand, and ignored her. "She always ignores me, but I am right about this. Something is going on between those two and I wish you would just listen to me!" Shard said to herself sadly. "It's like she can't even hear me."

"I can hear you." Erana said to Shard's astonishment. I can hear Gorpi talk to Onjo too, and you're right, there is something going on between Gorpi and Fudjya...

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Will Erana tell Shard what she heard Onjo and Gorpi talking about? Can Aaliyah hear Erana talking to Shard? Also. why is Gorpi's Snake Captor so strange? Find out later this week. Also I am sorry I am a few days late posting this, but hopefully, this week, I will begin posting multiple parts of the chapter, keep an eye out, and above all else keep reading! =)


	3. Chapter 3

When last we saw our heroes, they had just entered the Snake Cave near Cloud Mountain, an had just begun a long climb to the top of a small mountain within the cave. As they began winding up the spiral shaped road that leads to the top, they encounter many patrols similar to the one they had just defeated. They deal with these patrols much in the same way, Fudjya runs to the center of the group and stuns, while Erana heals, and Aaliyah and Gorpi pick off the snakes from afar. However, today's story mostly focuses on a secret conversation between Shard, and Erana. A conversation not even Aaliyah, Shard's wielder, can hear...

"How can you talk, and heal at the same time?" Shard asked in astonishment. "How can you talk to me at all? I mean, I can hear what's going on through the psychic link I share with Aaliyah. I can even communicate with other Soul Infused Talismans like Onjo, but never with a normal person like you."

"Who said I was normal?" Erana asked with a laugh. "Ever since I was a small child I could hear the voices of the Soul Infused Talisman. I used to think I was insane, but I eventually learned that I have a very valuable ability that not many others have. I even trained myself how to talk back to them, so that not even the owner of the Talisman can hear."

"So you heard Gorpi, and Onjo talking about Fudjya?" Shard asked almost impatiently.

"Yes." Erana quickly responded. " Gorpi was telling Onjo that she thought it would be wise to ask Fudjya about her snake captor pet, but when he replied he told her to forget about him, and that he was with Aaliyah now. Then Gorpi said she was making a huge mistake. That was right before she was attacked by the Poison Mushroom."

"It all makes sense now!" Shard said with a sense of revelation, as if she had finally put the pieces together. "Fudjya is the Assassin Gorpi told us about! The one who lost her pet monkey. We must tell Aaliyah now!"

"No!" Erana responded forcefully. " That would be a mistake. First I don't want anyone else knowing I can hear the Soul Infused Talisman. Second I have seen the way Aaliyah looks at that Assassin, it would destroy her to know the truth. Third, I have had a vision regarding Aaliyah, and you."

"What do you mean a vision?" Shard asked suspiciously.

"Fairies posses the ability of precognition." Erana responded. " I can see into small sections of what could be the future."

"You saw my future?" Shard asked more interested now then before.

"I actually can feel a lot about you." Erana responded. " I can feel a kindred spirit in you. All that rage you carry around, all that vengeance you wish to deal out. There will come a time, when Aaliyah is at her lowest. She will be offered a strange black root, you must make sure she eats it."

"Why?" Shard asked impatiently. "Why does she have to eat the root?"

"Because, it will be the only way you can fr..." Erana begins to say but is interrupted by Fudjya.

"Stop here!" he said urgently. As the group stopped at the end of the spiral road, their eyes are drawn to a large statue, in the shape of a giant snake woman. "This is the top!"

"I thought we'd never get here." Gorpi said as she rolled her eyes. "It just kept going, and going, and going. Whoever made this stupid road needs to be locked in a cage with an angry Aborigine Guard!"

"Are you sure you're okay Gorpi?" Fudjya asked, noticing the signs of fatigue in Gorpi's eyes.

"I said I'm fine! Just let it be." Gorpi replied, even though she knows its a lie.

"Okay, I'm just a little concerned about you. We don't know what kind of mushroom that was."Fudjya responded, also noticing Gorpi's lie. "Anyways, I am sure whatever is in charge of this place will be here. Lets kill these lower snakes, and then see what happens." And so they do quickly and methodically, but as they finish off the last snake, an Elite Servant of Snake Head steps out from behind the large statue.

"Please do not attack me, I am one of you!" the Servant said quickly.

"Its talking?" Gorpi said as she looked up in a daze, still affected by the Poison Mushrooms attack.

" I was not always like this." The Servant answered. "I used to live in the Serene Village, but when it was destroyed, the Snake Demon came and started turning us into its slaves. It used a metamorphosis spell on me and now it is to late to be reversed. I just ask please, destroy the snake demon, so that my spirit can move on from this place."

"Well where is it?" Aaliyah asked sympathetically.

"I'm right here you fools!" The Snake Demon said as she transformed from statue to beast within seconds. "And you my dear Tryanna, are not going anywhere!" she said as she blasted the Servant with a poisonous cloud. "Besides, don't you want to be there as I transform these new slaves into snake creatures like yourself!" the Snake Demon said with a vicious laugh.

"Never!" Erana screamed as she used her Thunder Faint Spell to stun the beast.

"Ladies get back let me fight it while Erana heals!" Fudjya barked out as the team got into position. Fudjya begins mercilessly slashing away at the Snake Demon with his Simitar, with little to no affect. Aaliyah and Gorpi are having the same problem with their powers.

"It's to strong, I am not having much affect!" Aaliyah yelled out.

"Let me try something!" Shard demanded.

"Shard don't distract me, its very important I concentrate!" She responded.

"Listen to me dammit!" Shard replied louder then before. "Remember when I killed the Water Eidolon, I used my temperature control, I believe I can do the same here, but using the Fire Dragon attack"

"That attack drains a lot of my mana, are you sure it will work." Aaliyah replied worried that Shard may be biting off more then she can chew.

"Just do it! Fry her!" Shard said as she began to get swept away in the battle. Aaliyah used her Fire Dragon attack, calling fire down from the sky, enveloping the Snake Demon in flames.

"What are you doing, keep attacking it!" Fudjya said as he noticed Aaliyah withdrawing her support. Aaliyah ignored him however, as Shard begins increasing the temperature of the fire. The fire starts to burn brighter, and the Snake Demon begins to feel the heat.

"You think fire can stop me! Fools you haven't even seen what I can do yet! The snake demon screamed as she begins cutting off her own fingers, and throwing them to the ground.

"Shes insane!" Erana screamed out. But the fingers begin moving and wiggling into the ground, and withing seconds, five duplicates of the Snake Demon emerged from the soil. Yet Aaliyah and Shard pay no attention they just keep increasing the temperature until all five split bodies are also consumed by the raging inferno they have created. And slowly all five collapse into piles of soot and ash embers, flying everywhere.

"No!" the Snake Demon screams! " How can this be you are just mortals, and I am a demon Goddess! Aaliyah and Shard still ignore her, and still concentrate on bringing the temperature even further up.

"Aaliyah, please!" Gorpi begins pleading with Aaliyah "Its getting to hot, I... don't think I can stand much more!"

Yet her plea's fall on deaf ears as Gorpi collapses to the ground. Shard keeps going higher and higher until the Snake Demon starts screeching and hissing. The Snake Demon then collapses in on herself, leaving a large pile of soot and ashes in her wake, just as the split bodies did before her.

"Gorpi!" Fudjya screamed as he ran over to her. "We have to get her to the apothecary now!"

But before anyone could act, Gorpi's pet Snake Captor begins screeching, and hissing loudly himself.

"What's happening to him?"Aaliyah asked loudly as the snake begins scratching and clawing at his own face.

"Look his skin is bubbling, as if its boiling!" Erana said, partly horrified, and partly excited at what she was witnessing.

He begins scratching more ferociously, until all of the sudden his face explodes with a light so bright, that all watching must turn there heads, because closing their eyes is simply not enough. When the light fades, and our heroes are finally able to see again, they notice the Snake captor is no longer there. "Where'd he go?" Fudjya asked in wonder.

"Look! There!" Aaliyah said as she spotted a very attractive, very naked man laying on the ground where the Snake Captor once stood...

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Who is this man who was hidden among our heroes? Is he another victim from the Serene Village, like Tryanna, or is he someone _more_ important? Also what happened between Erana, and Istara? Find out for sure next week in part 3 of Secrets, and Lies...

Also, last week, I sent in part 2 of Secrets, and Lies to be posted, but after a few days of it not being posted, I sent in another, in case it was accidentally deleted. I guess the GM's thought it was mis-titled, and that is **NOT** part 3, this is lol. SO consider that part three like a rerun lol.


	4. Chapter 4

When last we saw our heroes, they had just witnessed a very strange transformation. Gorpi's Snake Captor pet was really a man transformed by the Mistress of the Snake Cave, a giant Snake Demon who possessed shape-shifting abilities. Who is this strange man who has hidden among our heroes, and what place does he hold in Aaliyah's future...?

"He's naked!" Erana blurted out, and then regretted saying it. "I have an extra robe in my Lucky Bag, let me cover him up." As she goes over to cover him up, a light appears from where the Servant of the Snake Demon, Tryanna, laid. As they turned to see what it was, they saw a glowing form in the shape of a woman, with long flowing hair.

"I am Tryanna. I thank you for freeing my soul from the Snake Demon's control. That man is very important, he was here for a reason, and it is now up to you to protect him. Your future may depend on it some day, so make sure you take him to a safe place at soon as possible..." She said as she faded away out of sight, like a mist.

"We need to get him and Gorpi to the wounded camp now then!" Fudjya said impatiently.

"I think I may know a way to get him there using my teleportation stone, but I need you to go ahead of me." Aaliyah said. "That way if it doesn't work for me, you guys will be there to protect him."

"Are you sure Aaliyah? I could stay behind, and bring him on my tiger, like I did with Istara." Erana said as she tried to contain her grin.

"No, it's okay, I want to see if this trick will work." Aaliyah replied.

"Well, let's get going then! We waited long enough!" Fudjya said brusquely.

As her companions fade from sight, like the apparition before them, Aaliyah kneels down beside the stranger before her. She rolls him over, fully on his back, and covers him properly. She looks at his face for a moment. He is very attractive. He has dark black hair, with olive skin, and a strange tattoo on his forehead. She rubs her finger over the tattoo, and he moans. She jumps back, startled by the sudden noise. He did not wake up though. There is an energy pattern in him that is familiar to her. He is a wizard for sure, and a very powerful one at that. She opens his palm, and can feel how smooth his hands are. Not like her fathers, or Fudjya's, who have rough callused hands. She placed the stone in his hand, and then held her hand around his. She taps both their fingers simultaneously on the stone, and they fade from sight. Little did she know that as they faded away another apparition appeared behind them. This one however was cold and dark, like a shadow. It lingers in the air for a moment, and then disappears.

As Aaliyah opens her eyes, she once again has the familiar feeling of her eyesight adjusting to sudden light. No matter how many times it happens she still cannot get used to it. She looks down to her side, and spots her new friend lying next to her, just like in the cave. She tucks the covers under him to make him more comfortable. She then sees a shadow standing over her. It is Erana, looking at her with her eyebrows raised, as if she knew a secret. Aaliyah immediately looks down and blushes.

"I was just trying to make him more comfortable." She said still too embarrassed to look up.

"I'm sure." Erana said, as her eyebrows raised even higher than before.

"Where's Fudjya, and Gorpi?" Aaliyah asked, trying to change the subject.

"They are over there in one of the med tents." Erana said as she let one eyebrow drop. "The Apothecary said she will be fine, and needs a little rest. Fudjya wanted to stay close to her until you arrived."

"Okay, I'll just check him in real fast. Do you mind staying with him while I do that?" Aaliyah asked.

"Actually, I really should get back to Stone City. Especially if I'm going to get you guys in the guild." Erana said with a smile.

"Oh, I forgot about that. Well okay. I'm going to check him in, and then go see how Gorpi is. After that I have to report into Bardo. Do you think you can meet me back at Bardo's in an hour?" Aaliyah asked.

"Make it an hour and a half." Erana said. "The lines are long this time of day at Sky Village, and I don't want to miss you."

"Sure thing." Aaliyah said as she motioned over to the Apothecary. He comes over and places the strange man on one of the rolling cots. They then proceed to the first in a row of eight small, shabby med tents.

In the eighth tent Gorpi lies on a cot, just now awakening from her "nap".

"Where am I?" She asked in a daze. "Fudjya? What happened? Is everyone alright?"

"Yes. We are all fine." Fudjya said, "It's you I was worried about."

"Fudjya, you shouldn't be here." Gorpi said as she begins to remember their secret agreement. "Aaliyah has to be around here somewhere. I don't want her to get suspicious."

"I don't care anymore!" Fudjya said passionately. "Seeing you hurt like that has made me realize, I love you Gorpi, and I can't lie anymore."

"What if I don't love you anymore?" Gorpi asked, knowing it isn't true as the words come out.

"Gorpi I can't do this it's..." Fudjya tried to say but was interrupted.

"It's the only thing we can do now. Aaliyah will hate us both when she finds out we lied to her." Gorpi said getting angry.

"I don't care about Aaliyah!" He said getting angry himself. "I care about you! I..I..." He rushes to her side, grabs onto her shoulders, and kisses her passionately.

Meanwhile, in Sky Village, Erana has just arrived from the Transport Fey. She looks at the stop going to Stone City, and just as she suspected, it is jam-packed with people. She decides to grab some food, at the nearby restaurant. She quickly eats, and returns to the line, which has grown even longer since she last saw it.

"Oh great! Just what I needed!" She thinks to herself as she gets to the back of the line. She stands in line for about ten minutes, and just as it gets moving, she is approached by an Assassin in low level armor.

"Excuse me miss, I need to speak with you. Please come over here with me." He said in a very flat tone.

"No! Go away!" She replied rudely.

"Miss, I really must insist..." He began to say.

"I said leave me alone!" She repeated, louder then before.

"Well fine then, I have two words for you. Zobel, and kill." He said as he raised his eyebrow.

"What? I am sure I have no idea what you are talking about." Erana said as a knot welled up in her throat.

"Miss, come with me and there won't be any trouble." He said as he grinned widely.

She glares into his eyes deeply, her own eyes filled with hate. If looks could kill, he would be a pile of ashes. She goes over to the East exit with him, where few people are. He leans against the wall, and props his left foot up against it.

"So how do you know Istara?" Erana asked, trying to buy time to figure out a lie to tell.

"It isn't how I know Istara that interests you. It's what I know." He said grinning as widely as ever.

"Oh, and what is it that you know about Istara?" Erana asked, her eyes narrowing, and the knot in her throat growing larger.

"I know you murdered her, and unless you give me 500 gold pieces so will the General Magistrate..."

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How will Erana react to this attempted blackmail? Will Gorpi, and Fudjya tell Aaliyah the truth? Also who is the mysterious man, and why did the apparition believe that he was important to Aaliyah's future? Find out next week!

I would like to announce that I will also be posting this story on . That way I will be able to post immediately each week. I will also have an archive of all the stories collected on one page, so it will be a lot easier for new readers to access the stories! So please go to .net/u/1815526/Aaliyah12345 to see my profile, and check out new stories when they come out instead of waiting! Thanks for reading , and see you next week! =)


	5. Chapter 5

When last we saw Fudjya and Gorpi, they had just embraced in a passionate, albeit, forbidden kiss. Fudjya had just decided to end their charade of pretending to not know each other for Aaliyah's sake. Gorpi however still feels otherwise...

"Get the hell off of me!" Gorpi said as she pulled away from Fudjya, pushing him away from her cot in the process.

"Gorpi, I love you! I..." He began to say.

"I don't love you!" Gorpi replied in a flash of anger. "All you care about is yourself, and your money! That's why you left Jarold out in that desert to die!"

"Gorpi I was trying to save you!" He replied.

"Well don't do me anymore favors. He meant so much to me, and you left him. You took off and didn't even look back!" She replied as angry as ever.

"Gorpi, I'm so sorry..." He once again begins to say.

"Fudjya it's not your fault!" Aaliyah said as she entered the small tent. "I know you were sort of the leader of the party, but it was an accident. It could have happened to anyone, and Gorpi is okay!."

"Aaliyah, it's not just that, it's..." Fudjya once again began to say.

"It's that he was trying to impress you, and now he feels like it's his fault." Gorpi interrupted.

"Fudjya, I care about you a lot already, you don't have to impress me."Aaliyah said as she blushed. "Anyways, have you told her what happened to her pet?"

"I remember him saying something when he first entered the tent, but I was still a little groggy." Gorpi replied.

"Well, remember when we first approached the peak of the Snake Hill, and the Snake Servant appeared and told us that she was under the Snake Demon's spell? Well it appears your pet was under the same spell, and its really a man!"

"I knew it!" Gorpi said happily. "I knew there was something strange about him the second I laid eyes on him!"

"How is he?" Fudjya asked, as he rolled his eyes, not really interested in the answer.

"He's doing okay. The Apothecary said he needed some rest. He said the same thing about you Gorpi." Aaliyah said as she grabbed onto Fudjya's hand. "Besides, Fudjya and I had better go report into Bardo before he starts getting worried. I also have to meet up with Erana about joining her guild, so we had better get going."

"Gorpi, are you sure..." Fudjya tried one last time to complete a sentence.

"Fudjya, I'm fine!" Gorpi said returning to her angry state. "You two go on , I'm going to get some rest!"

As they exit the tent Aaliyah squeezes Fudjya's hand.

"You're so sweet!" She said as she reached over and kissed him on the lips. "You don't have to worry about impressing me, I meant it. I didn't want to say so in front of Gorpi, but I think I may be falling in love with you!"

"Me... too." He said as he looked down.

"Lying bastard!" Shard thinks to herself.

Meanwhile, already at Sky Village, Erana had just been confronted by an Assassin in low level armor with an ultimatum; pay him 500 gold pieces, or he will turn her into the General Magistrate for murdering Istara...

"How dare you speak these lies about me!" Erana said in an angry tone.

"Oh save it honey!" Sarien replied. "I was right behind you and your friends. I saw you murder that fairy!"

"You're insane, you have no proof!" Erana said angry that she was foolish enough not to watch out for witnesses.

"Oh please! You kicked the body down that small hill! It won't be that hard to find! And once the GM's do, they will be able to trace the mana aura to your Wheels." Sarien replied as he grinned widely.

"You're nothing but a low life scammer!" Erana screamed out in anger.

"And you're nothing but a sick and twisted murderer! We do what we have to do!" Sarien said, as his grin widened.

"I don't have that kind of money!" Erana replied.

"Well you better find it honey, 'cause I'm not messing around!" He said bluntly. "You have until sundown to meet me at the entrance to the Bamboo Forest. You will pay though, one way or another!" He said as he walked away from her. But before Erana could gather her bearings, she is once again approached, this time by Fudjya and Aaliyah, who had just arrived in Sky Village.

"Erana! Over here!" Aaliyah yells out when she spots Erana. "It hasn't been an hour already has it?"

"No, I was just coming back. I forgot to tell you something." Erana answered, as she walked toward the couple.

"Who was that man you were talking to?" Fudjya asked.

"Oh just some dirty little scammer trying to get money out of me." Erana replied.

"I hate scammers!" Fudjya said in an angry tone.

"Well, speaking of money. That's kind of what I forgot to tell you." Erana said. "It's going to be 500 gold pieces for the three of you to join the guild."

"500 gold pieces!" Aaliyah said in a state of shock. "You have to be kidding me!"

"No joke. I know it seems like a lot of gold, but it shows that you are serious about joining, and supporting the guild. It also gives the rest of the guild members a reason to care about you. All gold that is donated is used strictly to level our guild, and make it stronger." Erana said making it all up as she went along.

"That sounds like a noble sentiment, but I only have 300 gold pieces on me right now." Fudjya replied.

"Well, I am sure we can work something out." Erana said.

"Fudjya no!" Aaliyah said defensively. "That is a lot of money, you do not have to pay for me. I will find my own money!"

"No I insist. I can tell that you really want to join this guild, and I am willing to do whatever it takes to make you happy." He said as he smiled at her.

"Try leaving you filthy pig!" Shard thought to herself.

"Since you have done something so nice for my friend I will accept this and pay the difference. I will go to Stone in a little bit, but first I decided to make the trip to Green Scarp to see my father." Erana replied, happy she had already made so much gold.

"Oh good!" Aaliyah said with a smile. "Do you want us to come with you?"

"No. I appreciate the offer, but there's something I need to discuss with dear old dad..."

********************************************************

What is it that Erana wants from her father, Iron Arms Lee? Will she come up with the money to pay off Sarien, or will he turn her into the General Magistrates? Will Fudjya and Gorpi ever tell Aaliyah the truth, or will Shard do it first? Who is the mysterious man, and what will become of him? Find out next week!


End file.
